PS3 Inside and Out

The Shogun

Hardware specifications and tech demos dominated the show last year, but Sony revealed the last remaining details about the new PlayStation at this year's press conference, including final launch information. Sony originally planned a spring 2006 release for the console, but Sony Computer Entertainment president Ken Kutaragi announced in March that the console will not ship until November due to delays in finalizing the Blu-ray copy-protection technology specifications.

Sony is now planning to give the PlayStation 3 a simultaneous worldwide launch. The new system will be available with two different hard-drive options in Japan, the United States, Europe, and Australia in November. The console will hit Japan first on November 11. The 20GB model will sell for 59,800 yen, but Sony will let Japanese retailers name their own price for the 60GB version. The PlayStation 3 will launch in the United States, Europe, and Australia on November 17. The 20GB version will retail for $499 and the 60GB version will retail for $599 in the US, and 499 and 599 euros in Europe, respectively.
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In an attempt to make inroads with the general consumer, Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo have all given much more attention to cosmetic considerations in this console generation. The new PlayStation 3 console has a simple design, resembling a minimalist stereo component. Early prototypes indicate that the new case will be available in three different colors--white, black, and silver--but initial US models will be black. Like the Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii, the PlayStation 3 will be able to stand vertically or sit horizontally on an AV rack. The curved console-top suggests that the PS3 will need to sit at the very top of your equipment stack if placed horizontally. The console will weigh in at a solid 11 pounds. In comparison, the relatively chunky Xbox weighs 8.5 pounds and the Xbox 360 weighs 7.7 pounds. The PS3 measures 12.8"(W) x 3.8"(H) x 10.8"(L), which is in line with the other consoles.

Wireless Bluetooth Controllers

The PlayStation 3 controller Sony introduced at E3 last year resembled what can very easily be described as a "batarang," in reference to Batman's bat-shaped throwing weapon. At E3 2006, Sony revealed the new controller, which heavily resembles the traditional DualShock design. The L2 and R2 shoulder buttons located on the top of the controller have also been enlarged, with increased depth in stroke for more subtle game control. Sony has also enlarged the tilting angle of the analog joysticks to enable more delicate manipulation and a wider range of motion. Whereas the analog sticks on the DualShock controller for the PlayStation 2 had 8-bit sensitivity, the new controller will have 10-bit motion detection.

Sony revealed the PlayStation 3's new controller design at E3 '06.

The new controller has two analog sticks, the usual four-button complement on the right side, and four top-side trigger buttons. However, in Nintendo Wii fashion, the new PlayStation 3 controller will also have motion-sensing capabilities. Sony's Phil Harrison stated that the controller is capable of sensing motion in six degrees: up, down, left, right, forward, and backward. Even with the added functionality, the controller will weigh no more than the wired DualShock controller, according to Harrison. Dylan Jobe of Incognito Studios proceeded to demonstrate the controller's motion sensitivity in Warhawk, a jet-based fighter game. He tilted the controller to control the orientation of his aircraft. Tilting the controller upward caused the aircraft to point its nose in the air and shifting the sides of the controller up and down caused the aircraft to tilt in a similar manner. Additionally, the controller will no longer feature force-feedback vibration. Sony claims that the feedback vibration would interfere with games that use the motion sensor.

Like the Xbox 360 controller, the new PlayStation 3 controller will be wireless, but it will function via Bluetooth 2.0 EDR instead of 2.4GHz RF. Devices operating with Bluetooth generally have a range of 30 feet. Sony reports that the controller will have a 24-hour battery life, a figure that seems to be in line with other Bluetooth devices but far short of the 300-hour 2.4GHz models available for current consoles. Despite the decreased battery life, Bluetooth 2.0 EDR offers numerous features. Bluetooth 2.0 EDR can transmit data at rates of up to 3.0Mbps. Furthermore, by using Bluetooth, the PlayStation 3 may be capable of supporting other Bluetooth devices on the market, such as headsets, mice, and keyboards.

Also, you will be able to recharge the controller by connecting it to the PlayStation 3 with a USB cable. The controller will be functional while tethered to the system and will also be hot pluggable, which means you can plug and unplug controllers while the system is on.

The PlayStation Portable will be able to work with the new console. The PSP will be able to function as a remote control or as a sort of controller for the PlayStation 3. To demonstrate the possibilities of PSP-to-PS3 connectivity, Harrison showed off Formula 1, a PS3 racing game, which could output a video stream to the PSP that lets the player use the portable as a rearview mirror while playing the game on the PS3.

Media Mogul

The 2.5" portable hard drives supply the system with much-needed storage space for network downloads, applications, and home-server capabilities. Additionally, games will use the hard drive for game saves, and it will cache game files for decreased load times. During the Gran Turismo HD E3 2006 demonstration, Sony mentioned that load times would be reduced to two to three seconds. The game took around six to seven seconds to load during the E3 demo, but loading times will likely drop once developers have more time to optimize.

The 60GB PlayStation 3 has an enormous number of inputs and outputs, some wired, some not. The console features a front-slot-loading Blu-ray optical-disc drive, four USB ports, and a memory stick, as well as compact flash and SD readers to provide for an absurd level of media connectivity. The 20GB PlayStation 3, in comparison, has a much more limited feature set. It won't have memory stick, compact flash, or SD card ports. Upon closer inspection, Sony has cut specs for both systems since first announcing the console.

The PlayStation 3 will come in a handsome-looking Clear Black color.

The original PlayStation 3 specs showed the system with dual HDMI ports. At E3 '06, Sony revealed that the 60GB console will only have one HDMI port, and the 20GB version will not have any HDMI ports. At last year's E3, Sony claimed that the system would be able to output dual 1080p video, but the HDMI cuts have effectively eliminated that possibility. The 20GB version also might have trouble outputting 1080p for content-protected Blu-ray movies, and whether the system can output 1080p for games remains to be seen.

Sony will equip each PlayStation 3 system with a Blu-ray optical-disc drive that can play games and movie discs. Each Blu-ray disc can hold up to 54GB worth of data, which should virtually guarantee that games won't be left wanting for extra media space. During his Game Developers Conference 2006 keynote address, Sony's Phil Harrison boasted that the storage capacity of a Blu-ray disc is large enough to hold localized content for all versions of a game, letting publishers ship one global disc instead of stamping out a new version for each language region. Games will be region-free, but movies will still have region locks preventing multiregion playback. However, according to Japanese IT Media, the Blu-ray spec now has North America, South America, and Asia (except for China) in region 1. If the spec doesn't change, that means your US PlayStation 3 should be able to play those Blu-ray Godzilla movies imported from Japan. The PlayStation 3 also comes with support for many of the older disc formats, including CR-ROM, CDR+W, DVD, DVD-ROM, DVD-R, and DVD+R. The system will also be backward compatible with PlayStation and PlayStation 2 games.

Sony's original specifications stated that the PlayStation 3 would come with three Ethernet ports, but the newly revealed specifications from E3 06 show that the system will arrive with only one Ethernet port. The 60GB version of the PlayStation 3 will also come with Wi-Fi built-in, but the 20GB version will only have the Ethernet port. We can't ignore the fact that the PS3 has all the tools to function as a personal video recorder and home-media server. The larger 60GB drive will likely prove much more useful than the 20GB drive if you wish to take advantage of the additional media functionality.
_________________
If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there'd be peace.
- John Lennon

Demand Peace!

The Shogun · Posted: Fri May 19, 2006 9:56 pm Topic Title: PS3 Inside and Out Post subject:

Who actually has $599 to buy this? lol that's a lot of money to spend on a gaming system... >.<
_________________
If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there'd be peace.
- John Lennon

Demand Peace!

x.Joe.x · Posted: Mon May 22, 2006 6:43 pm Topic Title: PS3 Inside and Out Post subject:

haha yeah.. I get paid like 270 every 2 weeks.. Im not gonna blow it all on that.. I will prolly just save up a lil and make my mom pay for half or something =D

The Shogun · Posted: Tue May 23, 2006 2:29 pm Topic Title: PS3 Inside and Out Post subject:

whats your job?
_________________
If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there'd be peace.
- John Lennon

Demand Peace!

x.Joe.x · Posted: Tue May 23, 2006 2:35 pm Topic Title: PS3 Inside and Out Post subject:

Well Im starting like in 2 days im working at this mexican restaruant place called pepe's =D haha its pretty sweet.

The Shogun · Posted: Sat May 27, 2006 7:46 am Topic Title: PS3 Inside and Out Post subject:

lol Pepe's...
_________________
If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there'd be peace.
- John Lennon

Demand Peace!